A tabletop game about technology, smartphones and supernatural evil. And Twitter.

Silicon Valley meets Lovecraft

Imagine a world where people are enslaved by their electronics. Where we willingly allow smartphones to spy on us, and even pay for the privilege. A world where a handful of all-powerful multinational corporations control the flow of information by dominating hardware, operating systems, social networks and search engines.

Oh wait, that actually kinda sounds like real life.

But, imagine all that stuff, plus the twisted CEO of one of these tech giants also using his power and influence to open the floodgates to another plane of existence, bringing ancient evils to Earth and generally causing a big mess.

That's what you suspect is happening at the Techlandia corporation, the world's biggest maker of overpriced smartphones. CEO Charles Ward is announcing the company's newest phone, the top-secret Techlandia TX-1, at an invitation-only press conference later today. But despite being a b-list tech blogger, you're haven't been invited.

It's Silicon Valley meets Lovecraft in Techlandia, a funny+scary new tabletop game for 1-4 players.

Wait, not a video game?

Surprising, right? After literally decades of covering video games as a journalist, author and TV news contributor, I became fascinated with the growing interest in analog tabletop games. Much of the most creative thinking in game design is happening right now in tabletop games like Gloomhaven, Scythe, Nemesis, One Deck Dungeon and others.

I spent many months playing dozens of different games, and put together a list of what my ideal tabletop game experience would look like. I envisioned a game featuring:

A tile-based hex map with different possible layouts

Cool miniatures

Supports solo or multiplayer

Can be played in about an hour or less

Fits on a normal human-sized table

Continuing narrative that unfolds as you play

Depth, but without overly fiddly rules or parts

Great components, but reasonably priced

Expandable and episodic, adding new cards and tiles for new chapters

I took all those ideas, and wrapped them around a ripped-from-the-headlines story based on my years as a tech journalist, covering companies like Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and others. That high-tech world is already absurd enough, so it made perfect sense to take a classic Douglas Adams satire vibe, add a dose of Lovecraftian horror, and combine it with our obsession over smartphones, spyware, digital privacy and hacking.

Stay tuned for more updates, including the Kickstart launch, how you can playtest the game, and more. Follow me on Twitter at @danackerman, and bookmark TechlandiaGame.com for the latest. 4